The Think-Ups

It's raining, to the dismay of two children, but pale-skinned Kiki, who sports a pair of bunny ears, has an idea: "We could play the Think-Ups!" she says. "All you have to do is think up a Think-Up and it will appear!" Her first attempt conjures a number of bunnies, which hop around the rug. "I'll be Kiki Flower Blossom the vet, and you can be Bob, my helper!" she tells Anna, who has light brown skin. In no time at all the house is filled with more Think-Ups: a moose ("Just one, but a very large one"), "wriggling, giggling octopuses," and hungry koalas who gnaw on everything in sight. Kiki pays less attention to the outcomes than does Anna, who has her own desires and realizes that things are getting out of hand: "Oh, Kiki! What have you done?... And please stop calling me Bob!" Fortunately, Kiki's just as practiced at getting out of trouble as she is getting into it. Digital spreads by Alexander (A Little Bit Different) utilize charcoal-style outlines and soft colors to render a sweet visual idiom in chaotic domestic scenes. A fast-moving story with two high-spirited heroes, Alexander's tale prizes imagination, creativity, and quick thinking. Ages 3-7. (Jan.)

PreS-Gr 1--While waiting at home for the rain to end, dark-haired Anna and blond Kiki get tired of their usual indoor games, such as hide-and-seek and snakes and ladders. To keep boredom at bay, Kiki suggests they play "The Think-Ups." "All you have to do is think up a Think-Up and it will appear!" With this simple rule, the girls take turns summoning imaginary animals. Bunnies, koalas, octopuses, and even a giant moose appear and entertain the children while wreaking humorous havoc around the house. When the chaos crescendos, Kiki conveniently thinks. "All Gone," and peace is seemingly restored, the sun comes out, and the girls head outside with the promise of more high jinks from a "you-can't-catch-me-lion." Alexander's sweetly cartoonish illustrations are very funny, though neither they nor the text resolves the ambiguity of whether the entire mess was real or imaginary, nor is there parental presence of any kind. VERDICT Not an essential purchase, this delightful and imaginative romp will have readers giggling and wishing for Think-Ups of their own.--Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Lib., Boston Univ.